


Building a Bond.

by theatergirl06



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24483733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theatergirl06/pseuds/theatergirl06
Summary: A Saturday shopping trip takes some unexpected turns.
Relationships: Catherine of Aragon & Katherine Howard
Comments: 11
Kudos: 81





	Building a Bond.

**Author's Note:**

> TW: Mentions of beheading and child sexual assault, bright lights, loud noises.

It wasn’t hard for Katherine Howard to tell when one of the other queens was feeling off. In her first life, she’d made an entire world around being able to tell what men were feeling, knowing what they would do, and how to respond so that they would stay happy and she would stay alive and in their good graces.

A couple of missteps and mistakes later and there’d been an axe on her neck.

But after she’d come back, her death had only made her more determined to improve her skill. So she’d worked on her own emotions, ridden wave after wave of fear and trauma, until she’d become so in tune to her own emotions, everyone else’s just...appeared, easy to see.

That wasn’t to say that she didn’t have her off days when everything got a little blurry, though.

It was a pretty ordinary Saturday, as far as Saturdays went when you were a woman who’d been brought back from the dead with the other five wives of your husband who’d murdered you. They’d all slept rather late, as they often did on the rare days when they simply didn’t have shows, like today, and were all milling around the table. Catherine had been up earlier than the rest, and had found an array of fruit and breakfast pastries and bagels at the market, which they were all now nibbling on as they slowly woke up.

For Anne and Cathy, the waking up required coffee. For Catherine and Jane, it usually needed a shower. Anna just needed time, and Kat was never able to completely wake up until she’d gotten some sunlight.

This morning was no different. Most of the queens had a mug of coffee somewhere, even Kat, who preferred tea but would never say no to anything with that much cream and sugar in it. The only queen without coffee was Jane, who claimed it made her sick.

Kat was sipping her drink and absentmindedly nibbling her muffin when Anne turned to the others, looking as though she was about to make some sort of announcement, which wasn’t entirely unusual for her. 

“All right, everyone, look, I know that when we don’t have shows, we usually like to do stuff together, and I love that, too, but I’ve been really wanting to go shopping for a while, and I haven’t gotten the chance, so I’m gonna...um, do that today.” She sat back down, looking a little awkward but mostly okay.

Kat sighed. Anne, like all of them, had come such a long way since they’d all come home, but there were times, in her more raw, vulnerable moments, when she was still scared, it was painfully obvious how scared she was of being independent. After all, it had gotten her killed.

Jane grinned as she put her cup of tea in the sink. “That sounds fun, Anne! Would it be all right if we came with you? It could be a nice outing.”

Kat grinned as she placed her muffin back onto the plate. “I’d love that. I need some new shirts, anyways.”   
“You just steal all of mine!”

“Well I don’t  _ always  _ like wearing red!”

Anna laughed as she gently ran her fingers through Kat’s hair. Funny how a sensation that had once brought the pink haired queen so much fear and pain now represented safety and love. It was nice.

“Liebling, I adore you, but I kinda think you’re missing the point.”

“Really?”

Catherine tapped her fork on the table. “All right, I know you two would  _ love  _ to just flirt all day, but we did agree to go shopping, so let’s go shopping, please.”

Kat rolled her eyes good naturedly. “Whatever you say.”

“Don’t  _ whatever you say  _ me!”

“Aye aye, captain!”

“Don’t you start on me, Boleyn!”

“Too late! I just did!”

Cathy rolled her eyes at Jane from across the table, which went unnoticed by Anne and Catherine, but not by Kat, who grinned. She loved watching the banter between the first two queens. It certainly never failed to be entertaining.

Jane checker her watch. “If we want to go, we should leave soon. It’s already almost eleven.”

“Meet back here in ten minutes?”

Catherine looked skeptically at Anne, who was rather notorious for being slow at getting ready. “Twenty, but that better be it.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You didn’t have to.”

Kat laughed and headed to her room to get herself ready.

Twenty five minutes later, they were all in the car and headed to a nearby shopping center. Kat was staring out the window at the people passing by and imagining their backstories, Jane was driving and chatting with Catherine about something in the American news, Cathy was curled up and possibly asleep, and Anne and Anna were in the back talking about the latest episode of a television show they’d watched, the kind where people do crazy stunts for no real reason other than...no, there really wasn’t  _ any  _ reason at all.

When they arrived at the shopping center, Anne climbed eagerly over the seat and leapt out of the car before Jane had even put it completely into park. She grabbed Kat’s hand, pulling her into the parking lot. Kat yawned. She felt tired. She thought she’d slept last night, but how many hours exactly had she been lying awake and staring at the ceiling? Sometimes it was hard to keep track.

The shopping center was pretty empty for a Saturday, though there were still plenty of people around. The six women looked at one another, unsure of what to do first. Now that Kat thought about it, she realized they’d never actually done a shopping trip all together like this. When they shopped for clothes, it usually tended to be in pairs or small groups. Never all six of them.

Jane turned to Anne. “Anne, this was your idea. You need clothes. How about you choose where we go?”

“All right!” Anne grinned and lead them all to one of her favorite stores. It was brightly lit with neon colors and loud music, and full of brightly colored clothing in every print from polka dots to tiger stripes, and every length and color in between.

Behind her, Kat could hear Catherine groan and place her head in her hands. “Dear God, this place is a nightmare.”

“The clothes aren’t  _ too  _ bad.” Kat could hear the skepticism in Jane’s voice. “Anne looks good in them.”

“Anne’s got enough confidence to pull off whatever crazy outfits she chooses. Most other people can’t do that.”

“If they want to wear this stuff, they should.”

“Oh, of course! But that doesn’t mean the store has to be so  _ loud. _ ”

“Can’t argue with you there.” Their laughter faded away as they headed towards the clearance rack, while Anne had already disappeared into the many racks of clothing. Kat headed over to a display of scarves and began to wrap one around her neck. It was pretty; white and orange and pink, and it looked like summertime.

“That looks good on you.”

Startled, Kat whirled around to see Cathy standing behind her, sipping a drink (where had she managed to find a drink?) and looking at the scarf.

“Oh, thank you!”

“You going to buy it?”

“Maybe. I don’t know how much I can spend. I’ll see.”

“Well, you should think about it.”

“Are you going to buy anything?”   
“At this place? What, do you think I’ve lost all sense of comfort and sanity?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s fair. I like this store, but even I admit it can be a little wild.”

“I’d rather make a statement with my words than with my outfit.”

“Who says you can’t do both?”

“Some people can.”

“Like Anne.”

“Like Anne. But not be. Truth be told, I just don’t care enough about clothes to do things like this.”

“Well, you look gorgeous, even when you’re not dressed up.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!”

Cathy disappeared back into the store, headed towards the pajamas. The music played even louder, making Kat’s head hurt. Maybe it was time to step outside for a minute.

As she headed out into the shopping center, Kat plopped down onto a bench, clutching her head. She had no idea why the music had given her such a headache today of all days. Maybe it was just one of those off days.

She took out her wallet and began to count how much money she had. It was usually a fair amount since she wasn’t a big spender anyway, but it was a bit less today. She’d lent Jane some grocery money when she’d run out a week or so ago, then she’d bought herself and Anna some ice cream a few days back.

Long story short, she didn’t have the funds for a whole shopping spree.    
She did, however, have enough money for frozen yogurt. Maybe she could convince the others to get some later.

A new song started playing through the speakers, and she groaned as it pounded in her ears. 

Maybe she had been up a  _ little  _ later than she’d originally thought.

There was a rustling on the bench next to her, and she turned to see Catherine sitting there. 

“What’s up?”

“Just thought you might want some company.”

“Oh. Thanks!” Kat smiled, and the Spanish queen smiled back.

It was odd. Of course all of the queens were a family, but Catherine was most definitely the queen Kat knew the least. They didn’t have anything special they did together, and come to think of it, they’d never really even been alone, and though she’d talked about her life in great detail, much of the first queen was still a mystery to Kat.

She wondered what sorts of thoughts existed in that sharp mind. 

Seeing Kat’s dreamy expression, Catherine grinned. 

“I needed to get out of there.”

“Yeah, not your favorite, huh?”

“That may be a bit of an understatement.”

“Just a bit, yeah.”   
There was another pause. Maybe, thought Kat, they could do something together. That would be a good way to get a little closer.   
Catherine must have had the same thought, because a few seconds later, she said “Tell you what. Why don’t you show me a store you like, and I’ll buy you something?”

“Are you sure? That seems like a big present.”

“Of course it isn’t. It’s not like I’m saving up for a new car.”

“All right! But I get to buy you a necklace.”

“Deal.”

Kat led Catherine to another store on the other side of the shopping center. It was brightly colored, like Anne’s store, but it was all in the walls, not the lights, and it wasn’t neon, either. Pop songs played through the speakers. 

Instantly, a display of printed tops in various shades of pink caught the fifth queen’s eye, and she hurried over to get a closer look, while Catherine paused at the entrance, studying a mannequin wearing a jumpsuit printed with sunflowers.

Kat had slung three different shirts over her arm, and was looking at a red sundress (yes, she didn’t only wear pink) when she felt a tap on her shoulder.   
“I found the  _ perfect  _ dress for you.”

Kat turned around and nearly dropped everything in her arms.

The dress looked like it was made for an overgrown toddler. It was a shiny shade of garish pink, with enormous ruffles going down the entire skirt, a gold sash, and puffy sleeves that looked like the tops of cupcakes.

Kat looked at Catherine.   
She’d known they weren’t close, but she hadn’t known the Spanish queen would misjudge her so much.

She supposed that was what happened when all you really knew about someone was what your best friend told you, and your best friend was basically their mother.

Didn’t Catherine know she wasn’t a child?

She wasn’t a helpless little girl anymore?

She  _ wasn’t _ weak or powerless or a pawn.

She  _ wasn’t.  _

She  _ knew  _ that. Everyone did. 

Right?

She forced a smile. “Oh, that’s...lovely, but I’m not sure it’s my color, you know?”

Oblivious to the pink haired queen’s churning thoughts, the Spanish queen stared at the dress critically.

“Really? I think it suits you perfectly.”

That was it. Kat sprinted out of the store, struggling to breathe, head still pounding from the loud music. She heard the words echoing in her head, the ones she’d been running away from for so long.

_ Little girl. _

_ Little child. _

_ Little toy. _

_ You won’t fight me, will you? _

_ Little princess. _

_ You’re mine now. _

_ Little woman. _

_ Marry me. _

_ Kiss me. _

_ Rose without a thorn. _

_ Insolent girl! _

_ Insolent child! _

_ Powerless. _

_ Helpless. _ _  
_ She felt a sudden hand clutching her shoulder. “Kat…”

The young queen shrieked, leaping back and flinging up her arms in self defense. “Let go of me!”

“It’s me.” Catherine’s concerned voice cut through the voices in her head. She opened her eyes, groaning, and plopped down on the same bench they’d been on earlier. Catherine sat down next to her, looking nervous.

“So...that wasn’t the right dress.”

Kat felt a harsh laugh escape her lips. “No, not quite.”   
“What happened in there?”

Kat took a deep breath. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. You would never do that. But that dress...it looked like it was made for a little kid. And that made me think you think of me as a little kid, and that scared me. My entire last life, everyone thought I was young and powerless, and they were right then. I don’t want anyone to think that now, because if anyone does, well...what if they’re right?”

She sighed, slumping against the back of the bench. “Sorry for dumping all of this onto you. I know we’re not the closest.”

There was silence between the two queens for a second. Then, Catherine let out another sigh, too, and slumped against the back of the bench. 

“Kat, I just...Jane loves you so much. She thinks the world of you, and you’re so kind, and...I want to build something with you. Something that’s just for you and me. So I thought this would be a good place to start.”

“It was.”

“Look, I chose that dress because it reminds me of a dress I loved when I was around your age.”

“You mean in the 1500s?”

Catherine sighed. “Okay, I’m sorry I triggered that in you. In my defense, I have no idea what to buy you. I just...I tried.”

“And I’m really, really happy you did.” Kat squeezed the Spanish queen’s hand. “You’re wonderful, Catherine. I’d love to build something with you. We like a lot of the same things, like books and museums and music. We’re family. We should spend time together.” She paused. “Just...maybe stay away from anything that looks like it’s from the 1500s.”

“Fair enough.”

Kat checked her watch. “It’s almost one. Want to help me talk the others into getting frozen yogurt?”

“Somehow I don’t think they’ll need much convincing.”

“Well, you can talk us all out of getting so many toppings we can’t carry our food.”

“Now  _ that  _ I can do.”

And the two queens set off across the shopping center, talking and laughing as they went.


End file.
